South American Special

We’re mid-way through the Olympics and although it’s not in London it’s still a rollercoaster of excitement to watch with a multitude of ups and downs from the GB team’s perspective. We’ve done a bit of where to watch the Olympics, but here’s a little snippet of how to get into the Brazilian eating and drinking way of life from restaurants to recipes. Your welcome!

Eating

DIY

If you like cooking up a storm at home and trying new things out in the kitchen why not try out a Brazilian recipe next time to munch on as you watch the evening’s Olympic activities? This one is staple of North-East Brazil – a sort of seafood stew that goes by the name of Moqueca.

Ingredients: 450g large, raw, peeled prawns; 75ml lime juice; 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 3 tbsp coconut oil; 4 spring onions, chopped; 1 onion, sliced into half-moons; 1 red pepper, thinly sliced; 1 tsp chilli flakes; 2 tsp paprika; 3 plum tomatoes, deseeded & chopped; 400ml coconut milk; 2 tbsp chopped coriander; steamed rice

Method: Place prawns in a bowl with 2tbsp of the lime juice, 1 tsp salt and 1 tbsp of the chopped garlic. Chill for 1 hour. Heat the coconut oil in a large saucepan. Add spring onion and onion and fry for 5 mins then add red pepper, chilli flakes, paprika and remaining garlic. Pour in tomatoes, coconut milk and a little salt. Bring to simmer and let reduce for 10 mins. Add prawns, all the marinade and remaining lime juice. Gently simmer until the prawns turn white. Serve with fresh coriander and rice. (You can also add other seafood such as seabass and squid) – Happy eating!

Let the Pros do the Work

If cooking isn’t something that really float’s your boat, and the idea of scrabbling around  weighing things and spilling paprika everywhere doesn’t really sound that fun to you, then there’s plenty of Brazilian restaurants around. Our personal favourite is Guanabara. Come here for all things Brazilian from delicious food & drink to live music and entertainment – there’s even a dancefloor! Check out the main menu above.

Drink

The Classic

If there’s one cocktail we all associate with South America, and specifically Brazil, it’s got to be the caipirinha, and if we say so ourselves we make a damn good one too. You can enjoy it at any of our bars & restaurants with the Olympics on in the background, but it’s surely got to taste best when drunk lounging in a deckchair at The Refinery Bankside with the games on the big screen?

The Rio Special

For something a bit wackier, The Parlour have created a cocktail especially for the Olympics which will be on their specials menu until the games end.  Appropriately, this fabulous creation is also cachaça based, but it also features banana liqueur, pineapple juice & glazed banana chips, resulting in a fruity delight!

Become a Pro

If you want the full experience – and when we say that we mean learning the history of some South American spirits, tasting them, and learning how to make cocktails then come to our masterclass on some of the other favourite South American spirits Don Julio tequila and Zacapa rum. Join the guys at King’s Cross for a complimentary meet the maker masterclass at 6.30pm on Tuesday 16^th August to do all the above, and of course the most important bit – drink the cocktails at the end! Then you can host an Olympic party and show off your mixology skills to all your friends. Big tick. RSVP is essential – email info@drakeandmorgan-kingscross.co.uk to reserve your place.